Driving Albania

While wasting some time away at Lake Orchid by crossing over the Albanian border and back (just for kicks it must be said), we were quite stunned to find that the moustachioed Albanian officials didn't have any insurance to sell us for Wickse. This seemed like a bit of a worry for us, and also added to the puzzlement of the Macedonian border guards who were not used to people driving back and forth, out and back into their country all in a matter of 20 minutes. They were certainly not impressed at the lack of organisation of their southern neighbours that's for sure! Exasperated would be a better word for it. We figured that we'd try again the next day at a bigger border crossing further around the Lake, and were chuffed to earn a page full of Macedonian passport stamps in the process, and even more so for our first crack at Albania!

Amusing oneself whilst losing an hour or so at the Albanian border

We didn't want to stay too long in Albania, it just happened to be the shortest route through to Montenegro. We'd heard one too many stolen car stories and also learnt that they've only just had access to cars - and driving licences - in the last 10 years meant that a.) the roads would be basic at best and b.) that their driving skills would leave much to be desired!

How many Germans do you know living in Albania?

Anyway here we go....

First impressions weren't that bad, plenty of police around who didn't seem to need backhanders to pass, nicely sealed roads (ok, this is the one main road here so if any were good this should be it), and the driving wasn't too shocking either. Perhaps we've just been getting used to the driving antics of these parts? I can certainly say that it was much more relaxing that Romania with cars actually waiting for a clear stretch of road before making an overtaking manoeuvre. Impressive. It's been said that most stolen Mercedes in Europe end up in Albania and judging by the number of them on the road it easy to understand where the theory comes from. It seems that here they are even a perfect replacement for a ute.

No ute? No problem!

Learning to drive in a stolen Mercedes so you can be confident in your own stolen Mercedes

Hot Hot Hot!

Hot in more ways than one

The paranoia of the previous Albanian dictator is shown to good effect by the mass of mini bunkers that litter the border areas. They were built in haste after Albania turned it's back on Russia in 1961, leaving it with no friends in the world (apart from China apparently), having severed relations with the west a long time ago. In order to ensure that these bunkers were going to work, they strength tested them by placing the architect inside one and shelling it with tank fire! The poor shell shocked fellow emerged alive and the Soviet tanks of the day didn't try to roll over the border so maybe the deterrent worked after all.

The hills are alive with the view of bunkers

With no friends in the world you need all the defense that you need eh

The backyard edition. Sure would look cute in Titirangi

At one point the road narrowed to single lane, headed into the hills and then took the most peculiar route across a mountain range, quite literally following the ridge line across! Great views but with sheer drops of several hundered metres on either side with little or no side barriers left Sharon as white as a ghost. Fortunately the oncoming traffic was surprisingly courteous as there was often little room to pass and sometimes they even stopped to let us through.

There must have been good reason for the road and it dropped us in the middle of Tirane with not much indication on where to go next. And what an interesting place Tirane is! For a long time a very dull and grey looking city full of Communist style housing blocks, now repainted in all sorts of garish colour schemes - brights, pastels, circles and stripes. It's amazing what a lick of paint can do.

Blue blocks

...and yellow blocks

Hope they got a good deal with Dulux

Somehow despite the heat of the day (heading into the high 30's) and rush hour we managed to get through unscathed heading in the general direction of Montenegro. The real scare came on the way out of Tirane by means of a giant maintenance hatch that had lost its manhole cover, thus leaving a huge gaping hole in the road which miraculously passed between our wheels and not under them, but apart from that our exit from the capital appeared pretty straight forward ;)

Making use of a road to nowhere

And so we emerged at the other end of Albania 5 hours later and all in one piece in Montenegro.

5 km to the border... woohoo!

EH